Drama

2025 Films, Berlinale, Cinematographer, Comedy, Coming of Age, Directing, Drama, Film Editing, Film Festivals, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, producer, Sexual Assault Awareness, Short Films

24 min read

Transcend the Trauma: Giovanna Molina on “Quaker,” “Hickey,” and Her Upcoming Film, “Kismet”

by Matt Fagerholm

April 29, 2026

It’s a special kind of thrill when the greatness of an emerging filmmaker’s work hits you like a thunderbolt. That’s precisely what happened to me upon discovering the sublimely nuanced

2026 Films, Books, Directing, Drama, Film Festivals, Indie Films, Interviews, LGBTQ+, Now Playing, Queer Stories, Womxn supporting Womxn

25 min read

Loosening the Knots: Madison Young on “By the Roots”

by Matt Fagerholm

April 13, 2026

After seeing Chicago’s BDSM community turn out in huge numbers for a euphoric preview screening of Harry Lighton’s acclaimed movie “Pillion” earlier this year, it’s clear that Madison Young’s equally

2026 Films, Cinematographer, Directing, Drama, Film Festivals, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, Slamdance, Uncategorized

17 min read

Slamdance 2026: Jessica Barr and Ryan Simpkins on Their Stunning Single-Take Film, “The Plan”

by Matt Fagerholm

February 19, 2026

The sun is just beginning to set as the twenty-something characters in Jessica’s Barr’s mesmerizing new film, “The Plan,” start to congregate in an East LA apartment. The calmness of

2026 Films, Berlinale, Coming of Age, Directing, Drama, Indie Films, LGBTQ+, Queer Stories, reviews, Screenwriting

4 min read

Berlinale 2026: “Mouse” Destined to be Hailed Among the Year’s Best Films

by Matt Fagerholm

February 13, 2026

There is no filmmaking duo whose work I await with greater anticipation than Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson. In 2019, Thompson made his debut feature, “Saint Frances,” written by and

Coming of Age, Directing, Documentaries, Drama, Film Festivals, Horror, Indie Films, LGBTQ+, Queer Stories, reviews, Screenwriting, Sundance

16 min read

Sundancing on My Own: My Four Extraordinary Days in Park City

by Matt Fagerholm

January 28, 2026

Sundance has always been a festival I had admired at a distance. How Robert Redford had gone about using his platform to launch the careers of countless filmmakers for over

2025 Films, Drama, Interviews, LGBTQ+, Queer Stories

14 min read

Look for the Signs: Christy Salters Martin and Lisa Holewyne on “Christy”

by Matt Fagerholm

November 4, 2025

I went into David Michôd’s biopic “Christy” knowing nothing about its titular boxer. I knew I would be interviewing the film’s real-life subject, Christy Salters Martin, the following morning, and

2025 Films, Chicago International Film Festival, Directing, Drama, International Films, Interviews

14 min read

Kick Out the Conventions: Agnieszka Holland on “Franz,” “The Secret Garden” and More

by Matt Fagerholm

October 25, 2025

With the 61st Chicago International Film Festival nearly in the rearview mirror, there are so many memories from the past several days that I know I will be cherishing for

2025 Films, Awards, Coming of Age, Cult Classic, Directing, Drama, Horror, Indie Films, International Films, Interviews, Now Playing

11 min read

Attracted to Abstraction: Lucile Hadžihalilović on “The Ice Tower”

by Matt Fagerholm

September 30, 2025

“If you can’t play with the language, you are not reinventing the language.” This is what Argentine director Gaspar Noé told me when I interviewed him fifteen years ago about

2025 Films, Cinematographer, Coming of Age, Directing, Drama, Film Editing, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, Screenwriting

12 min read

It Was All a Miracle: Embeth Davidtz on “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight”

by Matt Fagerholm

July 8, 2025

I was ten years old when Danny DeVito’s euphoric screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel Matilda arrived in theaters. I had read the book so many times that the

2025 Films, Awards, Comedy, composer, Directing, Drama, Film Editing, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, producer, Queer Stories, Screenwriting, Sexual Assault Awareness, Sundance

14 min read

A Profound Experience of Rewriting: Eva Victor on “Sorry, Baby”

by Matt Fagerholm

June 24, 2025

As annoyed as I was about Barry Jenkins, one of the greatest filmmakers working today, recently helming a prequel to the worst Disney remake in history, the Oscar-winning director of

2025 Films, Coming of Age, Drama, Indie Films, Interviews, Sundance

13 min read

Disrupt the Dopamine: Lily McInerny on “Bonjour Tristesse”

by Matt Fagerholm

May 1, 2025

Throughout human history, few things have discomforted patriarchal societies quite like the candid thoughts of women. French author Françoise Sagan was only 18 when she published her wildly popular 1954